3 copy writing mistakes you make without knowing it

These tips will help you to increase the response that you get when you write about your business. The same rules apply whether you are writing a leaflet, pages for your web site or a regular email newsletter.

Mistake Number 1
Writing for all your customers at once

Talking to a group is a mistake that will cost you a lot of money. Don’t do it!

Although it is really tempting to write for anyone and everyone that could potentially be a customer,
the way to make your writing really connect with the people who are going to want to buy from you
is to imagine your ideal customer and write directly to them.

No matter what kind of business you’re in, your customers crave a personal connection. They want
your marketing and what you write to be human so that they can make that solid connection with
your business and what you do. So get a really clear picture of your ideal customer in your mind
before you begin to write. Think about how they spend their time, who they like talking to, even
what they look like.

If you already have a customer who loves everything you do and is already a raving fan, write
everything as if you were going to send it to them. If not, create an image of the ideal customer you
would like to have. Why? Because by writing directly to that one ideal customer, you’ll automatically
find all the customers who are on the perfect wavelength for you.

Get up now and write a Post-it note for yourself.

“Write to One Person”

Stick it on your computer, or somewhere you’ll see it often.

Mistake Number 2
Not having an attention grabbing headline

Headlines sell! It’s as simple as that.

Here are some figures to think about:

On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. This
is why the quality and impact of your headline determines the effectiveness of your entire piece.

Every element of compelling copy has just one purpose — to get the next sentence read. And then
the sentence after that, and so on, all the way down to your call to action.

So how do you make sure that people don’t stop reading at your headline?

Great headlines are constructed in certain time and money-tested ways. There are books dedicated
to the subject that contain collections of headlines that are tried and tested and known to work. All
these headlines can be adapted into different contexts and re-used time and again.

All good copywriters will also have collections of winning adverts, sales letters and even the latest
issue of Cosmo. If you want to write effective copy, especially when starting out, it doesn’t make
sense to try and match all the wisdom that already exists on this vitally important topic.

Mistake Number 3
Keeping your readers mal-nourished!

We all know that people are inclined to move toward rewards (and away from pain). But how many
of us make sure that the content we provide our customers with is truly rewarding. I’ve sure that like
me, you have read newsletters and web sites that have left you starved of anything of value. In the
same way that valueless content will stop people from acting upon your leaflet, or from opening
your emails, really nourishing content can super-charge all your marketing and make people listen to
what you say.

So how do I create rewarding content?

Positive reinforcement is truly a miraculous technique. Every leaflet, blog post or article you create
needs to contain a little nugget of value. Nuggets are little pieces of useful information that
genuinely benefit your readers.

The best nuggets demonstrate your expertise in your area of business. So for example, if you provide
a gardening service, you can give your prospective customers tips on keeping their lawn really green
or how to kill weeds effectively.

Every tip should be something your customer can acton right away. If you are writing a leaflet, the
nugget for your reader should take the form of a really compelling offer. This offer should provide a
genuine saving or solve a problem that you know your prospects are experiencing and would love to
have taken away!

Remember, if you want to increase the number of sales leads you generate – always reward your
customers for taking the time to read your content.